Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1887-06-23
POLYGAMY IN UTAH.
The Power of Mormonism Said to be Rapidly
Dying Ont


The Power of Mormonism Said to be Rapidly
Dying Out.
correspondent of The Springfield
lMass.) Republican at Salt Lake City
writes: The great majority of the Nor
mons are foreigners. proselyted III! their
own country by emlssaries from Utah;
transported by the church directly from
their own homes to Utah; kept in total
ignorance of the vastness of the United
States and the powers and principles of
Its government; constantly imbued with
the belief that the Mormon people are
Gods chosen; that the Mormon church is
the only true church, and TO 1T and its
priests they must be loyal even to the dis
obey1ng of all other laws of any land.
thus, the body Of people remain IN peace
ful ignorance. while the designing leaders
nave proceeded to clothe themselves with
power, gain unto themselves riches, and
build up an empire within republic; an
empire SO united through religious fana-
t1clsm, so strong through the possession
of money, and so we'll barricaded against
national legislation by the laws the
Mormons themselves have enacted as
citizens of the territory of Utah that the
general government has found it extreme.
ly difficult to prevent polygamous mar
riages and curtail the political powers of
the church without encroaching upon the
constitutional rights of the territory and
its citizens. Of the Mormon people
Brigham Young was the animating spirit;
the self pronounced prophet; accepted
and obeyed by all. Never did man IN
America hold such complete one, man
power. Realizing religious prejudice to
be the strongest entertained in the human
heart, he worked upon the feelings and
passions of the confding and fanatical
until he had thousands of followers who
were ready to kill the enemies of the
'church" at his command, or at his re-
quest to die. Before Young's asscendency
the Mormon church was torn with dissen-
sions and full of troubles. He assumed
auth ority and held sway over church and
state. He dictated the course and policy
of both, made the. church supreme, and
himself absolute monarch. His knowledge
of the world and human nature was clear
and broad. He was courageous, sagacious,
audacious, subtle, practical, magnetic,
wickedly selfish, possessing the manners
of gentleman and the spirit of a fend.
He was a native ruler, having the elements
of great man, yet lacking the one char
acteristic without which no man is great
Justice. No nation, no empire, no
society, no church, no state, no life can
live in the eyes of history as great unless
buhded upon The grand anS sndSring
principles of justice and truth
The Mormon power is rapidly .siining
and will soon die away. Not because It
is an organization established upon a
faith, but because chat faith does
not embrace the principles of truth. 1t
imposes injustice upon the world by
teaching practices antagonistiu to the
social customs of civilization. 1t imposes
injustice upon its own members in exact
ing from them unquestionable obedience
to the laws of the Mormon church, regard
less of other laws, ecclesiastical or civil.
It imposes Il Justice upon the women of
the church by causing them to believe
that they can gain salvation only through
a husband, and that the man with plural
wives will be exalted in heaven, while the
single man will, in the hereafter. be debas-
ed. The laws recently passed by congress
work a grievous burden upon some per
sons who entered into polygamv before
any law existed prohibiting that practice;
their action at that time was sincere and,
as they thought, legitimate. These, we
believe. should have been permitted to
remain unmOlested in their domestic re-
lations. Regarding these the present law
is ex post facto one, and operates to the
destruction of family ties innocently estab-
lished. 1t separates children from par
ents, and drives into the world class of
women unfit to earn their own living, in
capable of urpporting their own children,
and usually of an age and in a position
which makes legitimate marriages to them
almost impossible. The consequence may
be imagined While we have no sympathy
with the Mormon teaching, and believe
the severest penalty should be imposed
upon those who in future enter into poly
gamy, we still MAINTAIN it to be an injus-
tice that punishment should be put upon
the innocent in order to reach the guilty.
The present laws will tend to prevent the
further practice of polygamy, but in no
degree will they change the Mormon's
religious convictions, but as the GENTLE
element increases and new civilization
grows in and around the Mormons they
will be led to reason and reflect. Already
many have discovered the true situation
and have voluntarily relinquished their
old customs and begin to question the
power and purity of the church.
CIoanipo ont O hon of Wild Docs